The New Officer
by The Minx
Summary: Part II up and running...When a new officer arrives on Enterprise, things get stirred up.
1. Default Chapter

Enterprise  
  
The New Officer  
The crew was leaving the bridge one by one. The captain sat content in his chair staring at the view screen. Enterprise was docked at a small space station for minor repairs. Archer ordered all but a skeleton crew to take shore leave until repairs were complete. T'Pol never questioned his order, but she did have a question.  
  
"Captain. Will you not be joining us?" She asked.  
  
"Maybe next time. Today, I'm just looking forward to some peace and quiet."  
  
Without another word, T'Pol joined the others. Archer walked over to the console and switched the view from the aft, to the beyond. Nothing but stars, distant worlds, and beautiful purple, blue and yellow clouds of toxic gases were in sight. He hated being at the space dock when they could be out there walking on a moon no other man has set foot on, or seeing a new life form for the first time.  
  
Just when he was about to leave the bridge himself, he heard a familiar chime come from the console. With the press of a button, communications opened and the face of a familiar General came on the screen.  
  
"General Marksmith." Archer said.  
  
"Captain Archer." The general replied.  
  
Archer smiled, "To what do I owe this honor, General?"  
  
"Don't get formal with me, Jonathan." The general ordered.  
  
"Alright," Archer laughed and sat back in his chair, "What can I do for you, Tony?"  
  
The general smiled, "I have a favor to ask, and I know what you're going to say Jonathan, but this is different."  
  
"That's what you said the last time you asked me for a favor." Archer replied.  
  
"I know, but I never meant for you to be imprisoned for carrying that cargo." He smiled, "I just hope the Delaney sisters weren't too overbearing for you."  
  
"If you call marriage proposal's overbearing." Archer replied.  
  
The General laughed.  
  
"So what's the favor this time?"  
  
"I have a brilliant lieutenant who is having a problem finding a crew she can get along with. Now I know you already have a full crew, but she's already been transferred from four ships in the past two months. This is her last request before she threatens to resign from Star Fleet, and trust me when I say losing her would be devastating."  
  
"So what's so special about this officer compared to the others fresh out of the academy?" Archer asked.  
  
"She's a Portassian, found as an infant by the Vulcans over twenty years ago. It was the Vulcan high priest Colesh who recommended that she be trained at Star Fleet. She graduated highest in her class."  
  
"So what's the problem? Why does she keep transferring?" Archer asked.  
  
"Only one of the four transfers was her idea." The general replied.  
  
Archer waited for an explanation.  
  
"Do you know anything about her kind? The Portassians?" The general asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, then she's sure to surprise you." The general said. "Meet her and see for yourself."  
  
"Where can I find her?"  
  
"She's already on board the repair station. And Jonathan," the general replied, "Try to be a little understanding of her position.she's been through a lot more than you could ever imagine."  
  
Archer didn't know how he felt about this 'favor' but he was curious to meet this Lieutenant and see what the fuss was all about. On the station he wandered the crowded halls until arriving at Belushi's Bar. The captain recognized a lot of his crew inside, along with a lot of unfamiliar alien faces. Not wanting to stick out like a sore thumb, Archer ordered a drink from the bartender.  
  
"Captain." Said a feminine voice behind him.  
  
Turning, Archer realized it was T'Pol.  
  
"I thought you would be remaining on Enterprise." She said.  
  
"I had planned on it, commander, but something came up." Archer replied.  
  
Behind the bar came another female voice, "Here's your drink, Captain. Would you like anything else?"  
  
Archer turned to see a beautiful young lady with blue/silver eyes, standing at 5 foot 6 inches, 125 pounds, with hair of many colors like a zebra's stripes. She had alien markings start at her forehead and expand out and trail down the sides of her arms and continued at her ribs all the way to her sandled feet.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm out of uniform, but I didn't know when to expect you." She continued.  
  
"Danae." T'Pol said.  
  
Archer looked over at T'Pol who was staring at the waitress with a familiar glance.  
  
"T'Pol." Danae replied, "Long time."  
  
"Commander?" Archer asked sternly.  
  
"Captain?" T'Pol replied.  
  
"How do you know each other?" Archer asked.  
  
"I was raised on Vulcan, sir. T'Pol's 1st cousin, Palon, was my adopted guardian." Danae replied.  
  
Archer was stunned to learn that T'Pol's family was linked with Danae. 'What a small universe' he thought to himself.  
  
Just then, Archer spotted Trip walking by.  
  
"Commander Tucker." Archer signaled for Trip to come over. "I'd like you to meet Danae. She'll be joining our crew on board Enterprise. Do you mind showing her the way to the guest quarters?"  
  
"Nah, I was just heading back myself." Trip said and led the Danae out of the bar.  
  
Archer turned to T'Pol. "Your cousin's adopted kid, huh?"  
  
T'Pol didn't like the way Archer summed it up. "I don't mean to be disrespectful, Captain, but why has Danae been assigned to the Enterprise?"  
  
"Because an old friend pulled a favor out of me, and it just so happens that he outranks me." Archer replied. "Now, I don't mean to pry, but what's she like?"  
  
"Danae is undisciplined with a wild spirit. She had no respect for the Vulcan way of life. She was also never afraid to show her feeling in front of a crowded room. The last time I saw her she was departing on the Vulcan scout ship Onala in hopes to find her own kind. I believe she never intended to return to Vulcan." T'Pol replied.  
  
"So what's so different about her kind?" Archer asked.  
  
"It was rumored that she knew things before they happened, but I never believed them." T'Pol replied, and didn't wait for the Captain's questions to continue. She quickly departed, leaving the Captain at the bar alone.  
  
Back on Enterprise, Trip escorted Danae to the guest quarters and showed her inside.  
  
"I know it's not much, but pretty soon you'll start calling it home." Trip said, standing in the doorway.  
  
"I hope you're right." Danae replied softly.  
  
Trip didn't understand her melancholy, but decided she may just want to be alone. "If you need anything, just holler. And if you get the courage to leave this place, you can find me in engineering. I'd be glad to give you a tour of the ship."  
  
Trip left her alone, and all she could do was stare out the window. The stars in the distance seemed to be calling her name. She only wished one of them knew her real name, where she really came from, where her home truly was.  
  
Lt. Malcolm Reed entered engineering and quickly found Commander Tucker ("Trip") working on the warp manifold.  
  
"There you are." Malcolm said cheerfully, "So, I heard you got to escort the new girl on board. Is she as beautiful as the rumors I've heard."  
  
Trip smiled, but refused to answer the question.  
  
"Come on, what was she like?" Malcolm insisted.  
  
"She's definitely one of a kind." Trip replied.  
  
Malcolm wasn't satisfied with that answer, but no matter how much he persisted, Trip refused to tell any details. The sight of Danae in front of the warp coil interrupted their conversation and had them mesmerized.  
  
Danae, too, was mesmerized, at the warp's design.  
  
Malcolm beat Trip to her side. "Hi, I'm Lt. Malcolm Reed, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said with his hand extended.  
  
Danae took his hand and gave a gentle smile. Then she looked over to see Trip. "I think I would like that tour now, if you're not too busy."  
  
"Nah, I've got time before we ship off." Trip led her to engineering's outer door and continued down the hallway. Malcolm didn't know what he did wrong, but he was a bit jealous of Trip at this moment.  
  
"And the last stop on the tour, is the bridge." Trip said as they got off the turbo lift on to the bridge.  
  
Malcolm was already at his post, and the rest of the crew had returned from leave. Archer noticed their arrival, as did T'Pol.  
  
"I see you found you're uniform, Lieutenant." Archer said noticing Danae had not changed her clothing.  
  
Looking at her apparel, Danae suddenly felt embarrassed. "Captain, I'm."  
  
"It was all my fault, Capt'n. I insisted on giving her a tour of the ship before we departed." Trip said taking the blame.  
  
Malcolm knew better that to speak up, but decided to use it later. He knew something was cooking between Danae and Trip and he intended to rub it in later.  
  
Archer turned back to his post. "Hoshi, contact the station, tell them we are ready to depart."  
  
"They'll be releasing the docking clamps any moment now, Captain." Hoshi replied.  
  
"Captain?" Danae said.  
  
Archer turned to face her.  
  
"The shuttle craft that brought me to the station was a bit crowded, to say the least. I was never able to get a good view of what the station looked like." she hinted, "If it's not too much trouble."  
  
Archer wasn't sure what her true intentions were, but decided it would be harmless to look.  
  
"Hoshi, can we get a view of the station?" Archer ordered.  
  
Within a few seconds, the new view on the screen was displayed. The station was half the size of Enterprise, and was holding their ship by four clamps, two on either side. The view only captured two of the four clamps, but was a great sight to see, especially for Danae.  
  
Archer watched Danae's face light up, but was suddenly distracted by Malcolm's voice.  
  
"There they go." Malcolm said as the docking clamps retracted slowly.  
  
Archer didn't hesitate, "Travis, start at half impulse and when we're far enough away from the station go to warp 2."  
  
"Hold up." Trip said suddenly. "Hoshi, can you get a closer shot of the forward deck?"  
  
Hoshi didn't know the reasoning, but decided to take a look anyway. The captain was also curious to know why Trip was holding up their departure.  
  
"There!" Trip said the second the closer view popped up on the screen.  
  
Everyone was stunned to see that the base of the clamp was still attached to the hull.  
  
"Well done, Trip." Archer replied and then turned to Hoshi, "Contact the station, see if they can't give us a hand in removing the rest of their clamp from our hull."  
  
While Danae congratulated Trip on the discovery, Archer walked over to T'Pol. "What would have happened if we left at half impulse with that thing still attached?"  
  
"Most likely it would have taken the hull plating beneath. That section is connected to the lateral sensor array. If that had been damaged we would have lost our long-range sensors." T'Pol replied.  
  
Archer was glad Trip caught it before it became a problem, but somewhere deep in his thoughts he wanted to thank Danae as well. If she hadn't asked to see the view of the station, then Trip wouldn't have seen the incident happen.  
  
In uniform, Danae arrived on the bridge. Looking around she noticed it wasn't as formal as the day before. Malcolm was sitting on the floor trying to repair the problem in navigation systems. T'Pol and Hoshi were discussing the more logical flight plan around a nearby asteroid belt. Danae found the captain wiping his sweaty brow as he stood from his chair.  
  
"Captain." Danae reported.  
  
Archer was surprised how perfect her figure was in full uniform. The skirt showed how long her legs truly were, and her hair was tied back, but still flowing down her back in beautiful auburn curls. Her eyes, a light silver blue, were outlined with dark makeup, making her seem more mysterious.  
  
"You asked for me, sir." Danae continued, unsure what the captain was looking at.  
  
"Ah, yes." Archer pulled himself together. "Until I can assign you to a post, I'd like you to help Trip in engineering. He's trying to juggle three projects at once, and I'm afraid he's going to burn himself out if he doesn't leave the engine room at least once a day."  
  
Danae was ready and eager to join Trip in engineering, but waited for the captain to finish.  
  
"There's only one problem." Archer continued, "Trip hates it when I give him help he doesn't ask for."  
  
"I understand, sir." Danae replied.  
  
Archer dismissed her, but before she turned to leave the bridge, Archer witnessed the glare T'Pol gave Danae. It was cold and without emotion, as the Vulcan's usually were, but Archer felt there was something else there.  
  
In engineering, Danae found the place a mess. Consoles were ripped open, sections of the floor were missing, and she saw sparks fly where Trip's legs were. She wondered what he could be up to, but wasn't sure what to say to him.  
  
"Hey, there." She said loud and proud.  
  
*Thump*  
  
"Are you okay?" She laughed.  
  
Trip crawled out and got to his feet. "Now, listen." he stopped himself when he saw Danae's smile.  
  
"I want to help." Danae looked around at the mess, "And I think you could use it."  
  
"Look, I'm doing just fine on my own. I'll have this place back in order in no time." Trip replied.  
  
"Whatever time frame you come up with, Captain wants it done in half that time." Danae said without missing a beat.  
  
"You made that up, didn't you?" Trip asked questionably.  
  
Danae smiled, "Do you want my help or not?"  
  
Archer and T'Pol walked in to engineering to find the place was completely restored. Looking around further, they found Danae and Trip in unusual positions near the ladder adjacent the warp core. Together they were making sparks, literally.  
  
"Commander." Archer announced his presence.  
  
Trip nearly fell off the ladder, but when he balanced himself he looked down at his commanding officer. "Yes, sir."  
  
"What are you doing up there?" he asked.  
  
"We finished repairs on the warp core manifold, and the sensor array. Now we're just trying to improve these radiator vents." Trip replied.  
  
"Are you aware that you have not left engineering in over 12 hours?" T'Pol stated.  
  
Trip looked at the Captain, then at T'Pol, and finally at Danae.  
  
"I think you two deserve a little R and R." Archer said. "And that's not a request. You can give me a system's report in the morning."  
  
"Aye, sir." Trip replied.  
  
After Archer and T'Pol left engineering, Trip and Danae exchanged many glances before finally breaking out in laughter.  
Want more? All I ask is for a few reviews of good support and I will upload another chapter. Thanks for reading. ( 


	2. The New Officer, Part II

Enterprise The New Officer, Part II  
  
The first few weeks aboard Enterprise were uncomfortable for Danae, but she grew confidence whenever Trip was around. Together they worked on several projects in engineering, navigation, and extracurricular activities. He was the first one who seemed fascinated by her psychic ability and not frightened by it.  
  
They were enjoying cold drinks in the mess hall discussing Danae's origins, and testing her psychic ability with the aid of playing cards.  
  
Holding a seven of clubs securely in his hand so she could not see through the back, Trip held the card up for his eyes only.  
  
"Seven of clubs." Danae replied.  
  
Trip smiled and reached for another card.  
  
"So, if you don't know what planet you're from, or what your people call themselves, then why do you think you're a Portassian?" Trip asked holding up a fresh card.  
  
"King of diamonds." Danae said and then answered his question. "I looked up Starfleet records of all first contacts with intelligent life forms. Portassians are the only ones I found that had minimal encounters with humans and fit my physical description."  
  
"I see." Trip said as he shuffled the deck before holding up another card. "So where do we find the Portassians?"  
  
"We don't." Danae replied bluntly, "Three of spades."  
  
Trip put the card face up on the table showing it was a three of spades.  
  
"All the report said was that the Portassian technology was far more advanced and they had no way of tracking their vessel." Danae explained.  
  
"So the encounters all happened in space?" Trip asked.  
  
Danae nodded and explained, "Apparently they're a very private species who do not wish to share their technology. It's theorized that they can cloak their home world so that no one may ever steal their knowledge."  
  
"So the only way to find them is if they make contact with us?" Trip asked.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Bummer."  
  
"Yep." Danae replied.  
  
Suddenly remembering an appointment, Danae looked down at her watch. She did not have a very good sense of time, but hid the clock inside her silver ring on her right thumb to help keep a schedule.  
  
"I forgot I was supposed to meet Dr. Phlox in the infirmary." Danae said.  
  
"Is anything wrong?" Trip asked concerned.  
  
"No." Danae replied, "The good doctor comes up with at least ten questions a day, and then he insists on running tests to discover more about my physiology."  
  
"You know, you don't have to go." Trip said in hopes of keeping her as company.  
  
"Dr. Phlox isn't the only one who wants to know answers." Danae smiled. "And the more he discovers about me, the more I discover about my kind."  
  
Trip grabbed the card deck from the table and stood up as she was leaving, "Okay, but we still have to reconfigure the manifold on the starboard array."  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be there."  
Two hours later, Danae finally met up with Trip near the starboard array. Noticing her distraught expression, Trip immediately got concerned.  
  
"What's wrong?" When he got no answer, he got closer and asked, "Was it something the doctor said?"  
  
Danae just nodded her head. It wasn't about her health, but Trip knew something was wrong and he wasn't going to leave her alone until he found out what it was.  
  
"Something bad is going to happen. Someone's gonna die. And he's going to die saving your life."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Trip said confused.  
  
"I'm sorry." Danae said weakly and then made a hasty exit.  
  
"Danae!" Trip called after her, but she had already disappeared through the corridor. He stood there a few moments in confusion and debated following her. He has only known Danae for a few weeks, but he had never before seen her cry. Then he went over the conversation again in his mind. Someone was going to die saving his life.  
  
Before he could come up with a theory, the Enterprise was jolted as if hit by enemy fire. He made a dash to the engine room. Just as he arrived in engineering, Captain Archer hailed him.  
  
"Archer to Commander Tucker, I need all the power you've got to the shields."  
  
"What's happening?" Trip asked.  
  
"Looks like we may have walked in to a mine field. Getting out is going to get bumpy."  
  
"How bumpy?" He asked unsure he really wanted to know the answer.  
  
"Considering the mines are cloaked, very." Archer replied.  
  
After taking a few more jolts, Trip went straight to work strengthening the shields and yelling out orders.  
  
"Commander!" Ensign Jacobs hollered. "The ships taking a bad beating."  
  
"Tell me something I don't know." Trip replied in a loud voice and the ship tumbled.  
  
"The fusion reactors are overheating. If we can't find a way to cool it down we'll lose impulse power.not to mention that there'll be a great explosion." Jacobs explained.  
  
Trip didn't have time to lecture Jacobs on priority factors, so he ordered everyone out of engineering.  
  
"That means you too, Jacobs!" Trip hollered.  
  
"You can't do this alone, commander." Jacobs wasn't taking 'get out' for an order.  
  
Trip didn't have time to argue, so he and Jacobs worked together on releasing some steam from the reactors. Soon they realized that they could never cool it down fast enough, and before Trip could react, Jacobs pushed him out of the way.  
The explosion in Engineering was enough to shake the ship harder than any of the mines outside. The lights went out and the emergency system kicked on. As the ship slowly came to a halt Archer asked Malcolm to do a ship- wide diagnostics and get a count of injuries. When he hailed engineering and got no response he turned to Hoshi and ordered her to get a distress signal out.  
  
Just as Hoshi opened a channel, the console in front of her exploded. Archer quickly came to her side as she lay unconscious on the floor. Checking her pulse to make sure she was still alive, Archer worried that he wouldn't be able to get his crew out of this mess.  
  
Malcolm and another officer came over to assist Hoshi to the infirmary, while Archer turned to T'Pol for advice.  
  
"Where's the secondary communication panel?" Archer asked her.  
  
"I believe it is on deck 12, inside the maintenance shafts." T'Pol answered.  
  
"Right," he thought for a moment, "Go and try to get a distress signal out before we lose power all together." Archer ordered.  
While T'Pol made her way through the catwalks, Archer helped other injuries to the infirmary. Along the way he found Malcolm trying to put out a small fire.  
  
The flames died quickly, but Archer noticed Malcolm was burned on his right hand and wrist.  
  
"Come on, let's get you to the infirmary." Archer said calmly. He couldn't help but wonder how the entire crew was going to fit in to the small infirmary quarters.  
  
Dr. Phlox was starting to feel overwhelmed, as yet another injury walked in the door.  
  
Archer and Reed looked around noticing a lot of familiar faces, including Trip, who looked near death.  
  
Malcolm followed Archer to Trip's side. "Is he.?" Malcolm couldn't even say the word.  
  
"Ah, no, he's still alive." Phlox heard moans near the door. "As soon as I work on the more severe cases, I'll treat those burns, Lieutenant. But in the mean time, perhaps you can keep an eye on the commander. Anything out of the ordinary, just call me."  
  
"Sure thing, doc." Malcolm said as he took a sit next to his unconscious friend.  
  
Archer followed Phlox to his next patient. "I'm afraid I barely passed human physiology at the academy, but if there's anything I can do to help."  
  
Phlox didn't even give the captain a pep talk, "Can you set a sling for a broken arm on Ensign Klorel?"  
  
"Yeah, I think so." Archer replied.  
  
Just before he went to Ensign Klorel's aide, T'Pol walked in with Danae under her arm for support.  
  
"What happened?" Archer asked demandingly.  
  
"I found her in the maintenance shafts. The communication panel was destroyed, but she claims to have sent a distress signal before the explosion."  
  
"Is this true? Were you able to get out a distress signal?" Archer asked of Danae.  
  
"I think so." Danae replied.  
  
"You think so?" Archer was irritated and confused, "You mean you don't know?"  
  
Danae looked at the captain as if being accused of a crime and then defended herself, "No, I don't know. I may have gotten the signal out in time, but I'm not sure." Danae released herself from T'Pol's supporting grip and took a step closer to him. "I'm clairvoyant, Captain, not omnipotent." She said softly, but strongly.  
  
As Danae walked away, Archer reconsidered his anger. He felt helpless and now he felt guilty at directing all his helpless anger at Danae.  
  
"Perhaps I should return to the bridge and help with the repairs." T'Pol said.  
  
"Good idea." Archer replied, "I'm going to give Phlox a hand in here if you need me."  
  
While Archer turned his attention at Ensign Klorel's broken arm, Danae joined Malcolm at Trip's side.  
  
"How is he?" She asked softly.  
  
Malcolm looked up to see Danae's gentle face now soaked in tears. "He's in bad shape, but he'll live. What about you?"  
  
"Ask me tomorrow, you'll like the answer better." She left Malcolm alone with the commander and walked over to a nearby bed with an officer covered in a white sheet. She pulled the white sheet back to reveal the face of Ensign Jacobs. Instantly she knew that this was the one who gave his life to protect Commander Tucker. She had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from crying out loud. When she got enough control, she whispered to the Jacobs, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Replacing the sheet over the body, Danae went to find solace.  
  
Malcolm didn't know what to make of the scene he just witnessed, but then he remembered what she told the captain only moments ago. She was clairvoyant, not omnipotent. She probably saw this coming. He wondered what it must be like to know something terrible was going to happen and there was nothing you could do to stop it. His thoughts were soon interrupted when the commander came to.  
  
"Doctor." Malcolm stood up and waited for Phlox.  
  
Dr. Phlox ran the medical tricorders over Trip and then reported. "I must say, you had me concerned commander." He said smiling.  
  
Trip barely got the word out, but he said, "Jacobs?"  
  
Malcolm looked up at Phlox with unease, but Phlox replied simply and almost unemotionally, "I'm afraid he didn't make it. I'm sorry." Phlox left Malcolm to comfort Trip while he attended more wounded.  
  
After a few hours had passed, the infirmary got less crowded. Ensign Klorel and others were patched up just enough to get out the door. They'd have to return later, when Phlox had finished helping the more serious injuries.  
  
As he wrapped Danae's hands with gauze, Phlox had a few more questions. "Pretty rough day. You think you'll be alright?"  
  
Danae didn't answer.  
  
"Perhaps now would be a good time to tell me what kind of symptoms I can expect when you experience great pain or loss." Phlox asked.  
  
"What?" Danae replied.  
  
"I noticed your eyes have changed three different shades since you walked in." Phlox stated. "Scans show you didn't suffer a head injury, so I suspect the change may be emotional."  
  
Danae felt ashamed that her emotions had affected her physical appearance, but she did not have an answer for the doctor. She had never before grieved or felt this depressed in her entire life.  
  
Phlox understood her silence as her answer and decided to drop the interrogation. With both hands wrapped he said, "The aloe I put on should help minimize the burning sensation on your nerves, but you should return in a few hours for new bandages."  
  
"Thank you." Danae said and left the infirmary.  
  
Archer was wiping his sweating hands off on a towel when he approached the doctor.  
  
"Thank you for all your assistance, Captain. I think I can take over from here." Phlox said.  
  
Archer left the infirmary and saw Danae hiding amongst the debris in the hallway. Her bandaged hand was shaking as she tried to hide her tearful eyes. She didn't even notice Archer had knelt beside her until he grabbed her shaking hand and held it tight in his.  
  
After a moment of unsettling silence, Archer finally apologized. "What I said earlier.I'm sorry. I never meant to take everything out on you."  
  
Danae wiped the tears from her cheek and sniffled. "What happens now?"  
  
"We wait to be rescued." Archer replied.  
  
"And then?"  
  
Archer was confused by the question, but then he remembered what the General had said about her many transfers. Only one transfer was on her request. The others asked that she be reassigned due to her clairvoyancy.  
  
"And then, who knows." Archer replied.  
  
From the expression on her face, he knew his answer did not bring any comfort.  
  
"You know, I never thanked you." Archer continued.  
  
Danae looked up in confusion.  
  
"For getting to the communications panel." He said, "When we get rescued I plan to tell Starfleet how you saved us."  
  
"Don't you mean IF we get rescued?" Danae said.  
  
"No, I don't." Archer smiled and helped Danae get on her feet.  
  
"Captain, please report to the bridge." T'Pol said on the COM system.  
  
As he left to the bridge, the captain wondered if he really should have left her alone right now. His place was on the bridge, getting the crew to safety. He would have to talk to Danae another time.  
A Vulcan scout ship had come to their rescue. With the help of their scanners, they escorted the Enterprise safely out of the minefield. The Vulcans also assisted in minor repairs of the impulse drive. A few hours later they pulled in to a space station to get the damaged ship repaired. Archer thanked the Vulcans for all their help and watched them depart.  
  
The next day Phlox told Commander Tucker that he was finally free to leave the infirmary.  
  
"I told the captain you will not be returning to duty for at least a week, so I advise you to relax for a few days." Phlox continued, "You feel light headed, overly tired or nauseous I want you to come see me."  
  
As Trip was heading out the door, he overheard the doctor trying to reach Danae on the COM link.  
  
"Phlox to Lieutenant Taylor, please respond." After many efforts of trying reaching her, he decided to check her quarters. As he stood up to leave, he noticed the commander had been listening in. Without saying a word they joined forces and headed down the corridor.  
  
When they got no response at the door, the commander took initiative and opened the hatch. Once inside, they went different ways in search of Danae. Trip found her lying in a fetal position on her bed. She seemed unaware of their presence. Instead of the mesmerizing silver blue eyes, the iris had changed to a deep maroon.  
  
Trip called for Phlox and together they tried to get her to snap out of it. "I did not expect this severe of a reaction."  
  
Phlox took Danae's hand and noticed her markings had changed. What he and the crew mistook for tattoos was in fact embedded in her skin like a permanent birthmark. It had spread down to her hand and marked part of her palm.  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Trip asked, his voice filled with concern and guilt. All the time in sickbay he blamed her for Ensign Jacob's death, but now Trip was feeling like the one truly responsible.  
  
"I believe it is a reaction of emotion stress. At first I thought it was seeing Ensign Jacobs in the infirmary, but she did not know him well. Perhaps something has happened that we are unaware." Phlox pondered aloud.  
  
Trip knew what it was. When she came to him to repair the starboard array, she knew that he would see her like the others have. Like an outcast, someone who does not belong. Lying on the infirmary bed, he had relived the explosion over and over until he regretted even meeting Danae.  
  
"Could you give us a moment, doctor?" Commander asked.  
  
Phlox, not wanting to question the commander's need for a private moment, made a quiet exit. In case something went wrong, he didn't go far. He stood waiting for the commander outside Danae's quarters.  
  
Trip swept some of Danae's hair out of her face with his fingers and smiled when she looked his way. He wished that there were a way to see her thoughts, to understand what she was thinking or even feeling.  
  
Suddenly Danae sat up and scooted herself away from Trip. When she looked his way, Commander Tucker noticed the markings had not only spread on her hands, but they had also extended up her neck and behind and over her ears touching the ends of her cheeks. He wondered if it would go away when she felt better, or if this look was with her forever. Deep down he saw the markings as beautiful sketches that outlined the best parts of her. He wouldn't care if the markings stayed or vanished. He loved everything about her.  
  
He couldn't believe that his thoughts of her involved the word love. He was in love with this woman. He didn't know much about her, but his feelings of her grew with every passing second. Unsure if he should tell her so soon, he decided to get through the day first.  
  
"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to apologize or not." Trip said honestly. "You warned me that Jacobs was going to die, but I did nothing to stop it."  
  
Danae wouldn't let him finish. She quickly got on her hands and knees and stretched out her hand, covering his mouth before he could blame himself.  
  
"You couldn't stop it." She replied softly and then removed her hand, "Not even I could stop it."  
  
After a moment of silence, Danae sat back down on the mattress. Trip sat next to her and finally asked, "Do you ever wonder why you were meant to see things before they happen?"  
  
"Every day." Danae replied. "It can be a real curse sometimes."  
  
"Are you seeing anything now?" Trip asked.  
  
"No." Danae replied. "But there's always tomorrow."  
  
Trip thought about that for a moment before replying, "We'll deal with tomorrow when it gets here. I'm more interested in right now." He said and leaned in. He kissed her softly at first and then more passionately.  
  
"Oh," Phlox said, "I didn't mean to interrupt." Phlox turned to the side. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Lieutenant. When you get a moment, however, I want you to stop by the infirmary for a reexamination." Without waiting for a response, the doctor excused himself.  
  
Danae smiled. Trip saw her smile and it filled him with delight. She was going to be just fine, and now he wanted to make her more than fine. He wanted to see her happy. Today was the first time he had ever seen her cry. Now he wanted to hear her laugh for the first time. Knowing it may not be today, Trip thought about tomorrow and the day after with anticipation and excitement. He wondered if she would see a marriage proposal before he could get on one knee. He couldn't wait to find out. 


End file.
